A Display of Skill

That familiar blacked haired teenager, her arms hanging down her sides, her eyes wide as she's slightly confused. She's standing in the corner. "Cha...cha...challenge?" the words barely escaped the girls mouth "What? What? Huh?" she stutters.

"I'll even go unarmed." you say with confidence, quickly sheathing your short sword and dagger into the bands of your armor "Deal?"

"Yeah! Get em Zoe!" a kid shouts. "Kick his ass! Err...Butt!" a boy no older than ten corrected himself."Go Zoe go Zoe!" a girl shouts "Yeah, Zoers!" two boys cheer her on "You got this Zoester!" another boy yells. Apparently the kids are all gaining confidence, cheering Zoe on.

"Yeah, come on...Zoester." you chuckle, your arms folding up against your chest, crossing them as you look at the girl waiting for her answer.

"Fine, fine! I'll challenge you! You're gonna regret it!!" she smiles brightly back at you, her new found confidence causing her body to beam. She picks up one of her wooden swords off the ground, holding it tight in both her hands.

You lower your arms from across your chest and instead bring them behind your back, you grip your wrist in one hand as you stand tall, waiting for Zoe to attack into you.

"Ahhhhh!!!" she screams louder then she should as she charges into your body. Her arms going high in the air as she continues to grip down on the wooden sword, with her all might she swings downwards, trying her best to slash the weapon across your chest.

With a simple pivot to the side, the blade misses you.

She pulls the blade back, repositioning herself as she goes to thrust it now into your body. Once more, her moves are extremely telegraphed and without any trouble you once more, step to the side, her blade flying straight past you. This time though, you unlock your grip from behind your back and grab Zoe's wrist as it flies past you. You pull on her hard, her body getting thrown past you, she tumbles onto the dirt ground below.

"Psh! Lucky!" she turns over before slowly pushing herself back up. "You'll pay for that!"

"You're too stiff." you reposition your hands behind your back once more. "loosen up with your attacks. It's too easy to read you."

"You got this Zoe!!!" a few more kids chant. She turns her head and smiles at the kids before once more she grips both her hands in the wooden sword and charges at you again.

She swings to the left, to the right, she thrusts in, she slashes straight up to down. Miss, miss, miss and miss.

"Attack me back!!" she screams at you, lunging forward at you once more, her blade parallel with the ground. "Ahhh!"

As you predicted, you once more side step her thrust. As her body charges past you, you keep your foot in the path of her own, you bring your right hand behind her and place it on her upper back and once more, push her. She stumbles over your foot, tripping into the ground, falling face first into a giant burst of dust.

"PFFFFT" she blows hard, getting the dirt out of her mouth. A little piece of blood is forming in the corner of her lip. She brings the back of her hand up, wiping the blood off. "If my mom sees this!" she seems to be more scared of her mother finding out about her training then anything else.

Three more times she attacks into you, trying her best to finally land a blow on your body and three more times she winds up face down on the ground. Her energy is starting to run out, her breathing is heavy, she's covered in a layer of dust. She's back on her feet though, her sword now being held in just one hand, she's softly swaying back and forth.

"You've got drive, that's for sure." you say to the black haired teenager as once more, your hands go behind your back, holding them there.

"Yeah well." her eyes go wide as she looks off to your side, feigning shock "TIM, ERIC, GET HIM!!!" she shouts off to your side, pointing with her one hand that isn't holding the sword.

You turn your head to the side looking towards the direction she was yelling at. Ready to push back any kid that was lunging your direction.

But there was nothing. Nobody was moving, nobody was coming, there was...

"DEAD!" Zoe smiles at you, the tip of the wooden short sword is right on your sternum. "Gotcha, Darien!!!" she sticks her tongue out at you. "I win, I win!!!" she cheers to herself, her body now leaping up and down.

The rest of the kids are silent. None of them are saying a word, just staring at you, waiting for what you are about to say.

Zoe on the other hand, is jumping around, hopping back and forth, her body filled with so much joy and excitement. "Dead dead dead!!!" she keeps repeating as she's jumping up in the air, spinning in circles.

"A deals a deal." you reach your hands up, gripping your hood and pulling it down, finally revealing your face to all the other kids. With a smile and a grin towards them, you nod your head at the exit "You're free to go! Now get back to the Tavern!" you feign aggression.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" all the kids start to rise to their feet, inching themselves around the edges of the room, trying to keep their distance from you. You realize that most of them are probably still extremely frightened of you.

"Zoe." you say "Stay a moment, yeah?"

"Oooohhh!" she gives a toothy smile "Can we train more? Can we, can we, can we?" she begs "That was...awesome!!! You are...Darien, you are...." she's walking in small circles, her hands throwing up into the air "Amazing!!!" she drones on and on "You have to train me. You have to! Darien please! I mean, WOW, all my friends are going to be so jealous. Wow. Best day of my life! Think of all the stories they will tell! I, Me, Zoe, defeats the scary tiger of death!" she giggles at you. "Oh my god. Oh oh oh!" she looks back your direction, looking at your just smiling face.

Her eyes suddenly go wide as it looks like pain pierces through her body. "Please don't tell my mom!" she finally stops moving, her figure still "Please please please!!! She'll kill me."

With a deep sigh you just start to laugh as you shake your head back and forth at the once confident, now petrified teenager.